Scooter type vehicles form a known class of wheeled vehicles used by children to play. These vehicles are capable of carrying a child generally in an upstanding position on a supporting frame. In its essentials this prior art apparatus contains an upstanding column, such as a steering column, containing handgrips; a base frame or platform; and front and rear wheels to carry the platform. The rider uses this structure generally by gripping the handles, resting one foot upon the platform and "scooting" the remaining foot along the ground to propel the vehicle forward. Once moving, the rider may place both feet on the platform and coast. An improvement to this basic scooter type vehicle is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,029, issued Nov. 16, 1976 to Washizawa, et al., to which the reader is directed. The scooter disclosed in the Washizawa patent allows the rider to create a forward propelling motion without the necessity of placing a foot upon the ground. Instead, the rider pushes rearwardly and downwardly upon a pivotable pedal. The pedal, in turn, is connected to a bracket supporting an idler roller which, in turn, pulls a chain over an engaged sprocket, which in turn is connected to a rear wheel by means of a free-wheeling clutch. In pulling the chain over the sprocket in a forward direction against the restraining force of a spring, a forward turning moment is created to turn the wheel and propel the vehicle. More specifically, an end of the chain is attached at one location on the frame, and the chain extends forwardly over a spring supported idler roller and thence rearwardly to a second idler roller, over the sprocket to a still additional idler roller, and the other end of a chain is affixed to a bracket which supports the rear wheel. Another bracket is joined between the wheel supporting bracket and a forward portion of the frame which in turn provides an additional function as acting as a stop or limit to the rearward movement of the pedal.
In combination with the foregoing, the Washizawa, et al. patent discloses a two-wheeled steering structure containing additional elements which allow the rider to steer the vehicle by shifting weight from one side to the other. As those who make reference to the cited patent specification and drawings can appreciate, the Washizawa vehicle although commendable and undoubtedly effective for its purpose, is of great complexity and employs a large number of elements which, in turn, results in a scooter that is relatively expensive to manufacture and maintain. Inasmuch as these types of sports vehicles are generally purchased for children of tender years for use over a very limited portion of the child's lifetime, as it is soon outgrown, the reader can appreciate the reluctance of a parent to purchase an expensive scooter, perhaps tantamount in price to a two-wheeled bicycle which the child might be expected to desire in the near future.
Accordingly, an advantage of the present invention is that it provides a foot operated scooter type vehicle which contains a minimal number of component elements for providing a foot operated scooter vehicle at a reasonable price and which is easy to assemble and maintain. In addition, it provides a foot treadle or rocking platform to which the operator may more readily apply driving force, utilizing the weight of his body to accelerate and propel the vehicle to higher velocities, in a manner not possible with the rearward pedal movement of the prior device to which reference is made above.